Pie Dedicaton: To Ronnie, you were this pie’s first and most enthusiastic fan. I think of you every time I make it.
This is by far my most requested pie. I call it the pie that changes lives because of the reaction it gets. Once, a dear friend asked for this pie so he could share it with his wife who was in hospice as they celebrated their last wedding anniversary. That was the highest stakes pie I have ever made, and it was a reminder of what an important role food plays in creating memories and experiences.
The original recipe for this pie came from a bakery in Brooklyn called Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Over the years I have adjusted the recipe to suit my tastes, scaling back the honey and making some other tweaks that have resulted in what most people say is the best pie they’ve ever had. I love this pie because it’s evergreen. You can make it all year long and it’s always in season. If you are going to have one go-to pie recipe to impress, let it be this one. No one needs to know how easy it is.
Lately, this pie has found a new nickname – Apocalypse Pie. Another friend who was experiencing this life changing pie for the first time joked that this pie could sustain him through an apocalypse because salt and honey last forever.
So, friends, I give you Apocalypse Pie. If salt and honey can make it through anything, so can we.
Salted Honey (a.k.a. Apocalypse Pie)
Ingredients
- 1 recipe 9" pie crust Use my recipe or your own favorite home-baked or store-bought pie crust
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornmeal (yellow or white) I prefer white, but it's not always available at the store.
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1-2 tbsp flaky sea salt for finishing (Maldon or fleur de sel)
Instructions
Prepare pie crust
- Make pie crust and refrigerate in a disc for at least an hour or up to two days. Roll and plate the pie crust, cover well with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator. This can also be done up to three days in advance.
Partially blind bake crust
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Cover chilled crust with foil and fill with pie weights, rice or beans.
- Place pie crust on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, uncover and return to oven, baking for another 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
Pie filling
- Turn oven down to 325.
- Melt ½ cup unsalted butter and let it cool off a bit as you mix the dry ingredients.
- Place sugar, cornmeal and salt into a medium bowl and mix.
- Pour in the melted butter and mix well. You will want to whisk this for a little bit until the mixture changes texture and the melted butter gets absorbed.
- Mix in the honey, vanilla and vinegar.
- Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating well with each addition.
- Pour in the cream and blend well.
- Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
- Place filled pie on a baking sheet and bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes on the lower rack of the oven. Every oven will be different, so the time is an estimate. Watch the pie at the 30 minute mark for the signs that it is done.
- Remove from the oven when the filling has set and the middle slightly jiggles. The filling will likely have puffed a bit near the edges but you should see some movement still in the middle.
- Set on a wire rack to cool and top with sea salt. Don’t be shy on the salt – it’s a great compliment to the sweet honey. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.